Anna Maria Locke

Chicken and Veggie Pasta Bowl

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Do you ever throw together a random meal for dinner and it turns out to be the most amazing thing you've eaten all week? Well, that just happened to me tonight. I wish I could think of a catchier name, but Chicken and Veggie Pasta Bowl is going to have to do! It's 7 pm on a Tuesday and I have no more creative juices left in my brain. I'm in the middle of a month of school outreach programs at work, and driving to the far outskirts of the city and making data analysis seem fun and entertaining to hundreds of 7th graders all day will definitely take it out of ya!

This recipe is so easy it's not really a recipe at all--but it's perfect for those crazy busy weeknights when you come home exhausted and want a fast and easy big bowl of comfort food. Oh, and it's healthy too! Veggies, protein, carbs, all in one. My favorite kind of meal. Did I mention it makes a ton of leftovers so you don't have to think about lunch or dinner tomorrow either? Fast, easy, healthy, delicious, leftovers. Quintuple win.



Chicken and Veggie Pasta Bowl
Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4-6
  • 1 lb chicken breasts
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • Seasonings of choice
  • 3/4 to 1 box of pasta (Whole wheat for bonus points!)
  • 1 jar high quality marinara sauce (Look for one with less than 5g sugar per serving. I use the organic basil marinara from Aldi!)
  • 1 bag frozen bell pepper strips
  • 1/2 bag frozen spinach
  • Cheese for topping!
Preheat oven to 350* F. Place the chicken in a baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray, pour the lemon juice over chicken, and season liberally. I used Italian Blend Mrs. Dash tonight.

Bake chicken for 25-35 minutes, until it's done!

Once chicken is in the oven, cook your pasta for 3/4 of the time listed on the box. You want it to be a little crunchy still, because you're going to continue to cook it in the sauce! Drain the pasta, and return to the heat source. Dump in your sauce and frozen veggies, and heat until veggies are hot and the chicken is finished cooking! Chop chicken, add to pasta and veggies, serve with cheese.


Enjoy! What did you have for dinner tonight?